Foreign Visitors Boost Flagler Tourism Efforts

Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce set a goal of attracting 90 million international visitors annually to the United States by 2027. That milestone is expected to happen a year earlier, and Flagler County helped.
While other areas see more international visitors, Flagler County’s beaches attracted some foreign travelers, especially during the colder months, according to Flagler County Tourism Director Amy Lukasik.
“We have a very small segment of international visitors,” she said. “The majority are the snowbirds from Canada who travel in their RVs to stay along the ocean, primarily Beverly Beach Camptown and Gamble Rogers (State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach) and then the short-term rental products.”
Lukasik said in 2023 Flagler had nearly 1 million visitors, and 2-3% were international travelers.
“Fortunately for us, many of those Canadians are repeat visitors so any international advertising is primarily through a co-op program with Visit Florida so we can get more bank for our buck.”
In the agency’s announcement, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said tourism is an important driver for the U.S. economy.
“(T)ravel and tourism continue to be critical drivers of economic growth and employment across the United States, supporting 9.5 million American jobs and $2.3 trillion of economic output per year,” she said in the media release.
According to figures released by the Commerce Department, foreign travel to the U.S. increased by nearly 250% from 2020 to 2023.
“As a result of international visitation to the United States outpacing travel to the rest of the world, our country’s share of global travel increased from 4.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2023,” Raimondo said in the release.
The international visitor goal is part of the National Travel and Tourism Strategy adopted by the department in 2022. The plan focuses on four pillars, promoting the United States as a travel destination; facilitating travel to and within the U.S.; ensuring diverse, inclusive and accessible tourism experiences; and fostering resilient and sustainable travel and tourism.
